
Bertrand “Bert” Baxter is a towering former football star who now sells sporting‑goods to coaches and school superintendents with uncanny ease. In the world of lockers and basketballs he moves like a pro, anticipating every need of his male clients. At home, however, his confidence stalls; the same instincts that win contracts leave him baffled by his wife, Rolanda, and their lively brood of four daughters.
The house is a constant chorus of giggles, hair‑curling rituals and midnight feedings, and Bert’s greatest challenge is finding a quiet moment for himself. One sleepless night he pleads silently to his infant daughter, Annie, begging her to “go to sleep, my darling” so he might finally catch a few hours of peace. The gentle humor of his domestic battles offers a warm, relatable portrait of a man trying to bridge the gap between a man’s world and the bustling, ever‑changing rhythm of family life.
Language
en
Duration
~23 minutes (22K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
New York, NY: Royal Publications, Inc., 1958.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2023-11-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1915–1979
A lively pulp-era science fiction writer, he built his reputation on clever short stories packed with odd inventions, sharp twists, and a playful sense of what the future might bring. His work appeared in magazines like Unknown, Astounding, and Galaxy, and it still feels brisk and inventive today.
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